The story of Frasier is overcome with emotion by Niles actor David Hyde Pierce

When David Hyde Pierce signed on to play Niles, the titular Doctor’s brother Frasier initially thought the pilot scenario was “terrible.” The actor thought the writers essentially created two versions of the same character in Frasier and Niles and wasn’t sure how the show’s dynamic would work at all. Fast forward two years to the 1995 episode “The Last Time I Saw Maris,” and Pierce has been completely transformed. After playing Niles for nearly three seasons, the actor has developed a relationship with his cast mates and an appreciation for the quality of writing on “Frasier,” which remains one of the best and most enduring sitcoms in television history. But he also seems to have developed a real affection for his character’s wife, Maryse, despite the fact that she’s never appeared on screen before.

By 1995, audiences have become well acquainted with Niles’ wife even though they have never seen her in person. When Maris was first introduced to “Frasier,” it was in the pilot episode “The Good Son,” where Niles revealed that his father Martin (John Mahoney) didn’t agree with her. This prompts Frasier to offer the first of what would become, across the series’ 11 seasons, many digs at his brother’s partner: “I love her from a distance. You know, the way you love the sun. Maris is like the sun except without the warmth.”

like “Frasier” continued and the show never featured Maris. The writers initially intended to cast someone in the role, but as more episodes came out and more and more characters began describing Maris in increasingly strange ways, keeping the character off-screen became a joke. So, you might think that when Niles and Maris break up, there won’t be much to be upset about. But for Pierce, it seems his imaginary divorce was too much to bear.

In “The Last Time I Saw Maris”, Niles’ wife disappears, leaving him distraught before he discovers that Maris has embarked on an impromptu shopping spree in New York. After his father and Fraser urge him to demand an apology for her insensitive actions, Niles stands his ground only for Maryse to file for divorce – and again remains off-screen for the duration of the episode. In the end, Niles complies with Maris’s wishes, and in the final scene leaves his and his wife’s apartment for the last time.

In one of the behind the scenes featureDavid Hyde Pierce recalls being “emotionally overcome” at the table reading of “The Last Time I Saw Maris”. The actor recalled being amazed at the table reading how upset he was about a character that didn’t actually have an actor attached to the role. “I remember the first time we sat down to read this episode,” he said. “I was extremely emotional sitting at the table discussing the possibility of breaking up with this woman who doesn’t exist in real life. We don’t even have an actress to play the role.” He continued:

“It completely took me by surprise, because I read the script the night before and thought, ‘Oh, this is beautiful,’ and then something about sitting around the table with the other actors, with the writers, with your family like that reinforces the reality of it. It was very strange.”

Trying to make sense of his unexpected wave of emotions, David Hyde Pierce put it down to the fact that “the writing is very good” and that he and the actors had “worked very closely together for three years at that point”. He added: “You don’t realize how much you’ve become a part of your character’s life, even someone we’ve never seen before.” In this sense, it was not Maryse’s personality that prompted Pierce’s response, but his sympathy for his character, something even fans of ” “Fraser” is considered entirely inhabited by ordinary people.

It’s interesting to note how Pearce was not only convinced by the quality of his pitch after initially rejecting the pilot script, but also convinced by how immersed the actor was in “Frasier.” The show seems to have a record of converting non-believers, with Kelsey Grammer himself even admitting to being a “sitcom snob” before he starred in “Cheers,” the show that runs along the lines of “Frasier.” Indeed, in what is a strange portent of things to come, Grammar admitted that he thought the “Cheers” pilot was “terrible” when he first read it. Of course, these days the “Frasier” star can’t help but feel emotionally exhausted, with the new Paramount+ The revival series makes plenty of excuses to turn on the waterworks.

It’s a testament to the quality of “Frasier” that its actors become completely immersed in the world and characters created by Glenn and Les Charles. Now, if Grammer can convince Pierce to return for the revival, audiences may have an overwhelming emotional moment of their own.